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Dead Or School
, is an indie hack-and-slash game for the PC, initially released via Steam Early Access on June 9, 2018. It is currently available there and via DMM Games in Japan. Ports for the Playstation 4 and the Nintendo Switch are slated to be released on August 29, 2019. Staff *Mokuseizaiju - Director, Character Design, Scenario, Map Design. *Gaku "Miyamoto" Ninomiya - Animation, Monster Design. *Tomomi "Max" Yamaguchi - Programming, Level Design. Gameplay The game is a 2D platformer set on 3D-rendered dungeons, incorporating the aforementioned action style with RPG elements in a system dubbed "Metroidvania" by some gamers. There are many branching paths, some to advance the plot and the others leading to optional sections. The latter parts often have an item to get or a Refugee to rescue, sometimes accompanied by challenge sequences or simple puzzles. Weapons can be collected from defeated enemies at random or bought in vending machines (standalone/from the memory spots) They come in three categories: Melee, Gun and Launcher. *Melee weapons have a durability rating with varying sizes, kinds and attack power. *Guns are mostly automatic or single shot. *Launchers are typically one-shot, one-kill heavy cannons. Melee weapons with 0 durability will break but can still be used with attack power significantly reduced. Empty Guns and Launchers cannot be equipped. Repairs and ammo replenishment can be done anytime in the memory spot. All types can be powered-up with reinforcement gears and money or given a new random ability with a modification gear. Up to two attachments can be applied to each weapon, though some categories do not work with certain types. (i.e. Ammo Plus doesn't work on Launchers, Hardness has no effect on Guns, etc.) Character development is multi-faceted: Aside from increased base stats for HP, Stamina and Equipment Weight Limit, The player has the option to distribute points to a skill tree for activating and improving special abilities divided per weapon type. Stat bonuses and skill points are not only obtained from level-ups, but also from clearing sub-quests, defeating bosses in simulator battles, etc. Plot In a dystopian future, human beings were contaminated with an unknown virus that turned them into Mutants. The battle between the surviving humans and the mutants was fierce, leading to a decisive confrontation to determine which species will take control of the surface. The war raged on for 3 years but the mutants ultimately proved too much for humanity, leaving them with no choice but to give up life on the surface and take refuge underground. Fearing invasion by the mutants, the humans went further below the surface, digging as deep as they could. Civilization, culture and technological know-how was almost completely lost to time as the humans desperately continued to escape from their sworn enemies in the decades to come... 78 years later, a group of youths from Ikebukuro planned to go to the surface using a secret elevator. En route to the surface from the train station, they were ambushed by mutants but survived the attack thanks to Hisako, daughter of the Ikebukuro underground settlement's head. Hisako herself however, was also very curious about what the surface world is like despite a long-standing law among underground dwellers that it was a taboo subject with a corresponding punishment. Hisako's grandmother humored the former's curiosity, sharing what little memories she had left of the surface world. She starts by handing Hisako a uniform and telling her about "school", a paradise where children play and learn together. This inspires Hisako don her grandmother's old uniform, aim for the surface to find a school to go to, gathering friends along the way. Characters *Hisako *Yurika *Daiba *Yuki *Fou *Dr. Yoshitaka *Civilization Investigator Chairman Development The director Mokuseizaiju started out as a manga artist. He was quite prolific in the erotic doujinshi scene, with his most notable work being a comic that mixes erotic entertainment with basic knowledge-sharing for budding artists. He later come up with his own mainstream original series Machine Doll Nanami-Chan, which was released via Manga Gocha, shown in various media sites with three standalone published issues in circulation. To promote it further, said manga can also be read online via his blog. As he mentioned in part 1 of his development vlog in Youtube, the manga's reception was good, but the sales numbers were not enough to make ends meet. Because of this, he planned to create a game that would possibly sell well over a million copies. He knew that he could not do it alone and looked for people to assist. Joining Mokuseizaiju in his game development quest were Gaku Ninomiya and Tomomi Yamaguchi. Aside from his role as director, Mokuseizaiju will also handle human character design, scenario writing and level map layout. Ninomiya is in charge of monster graphics rendered using the Unity 3D program and 2D animation using Spine Pro. He also designed the Mutants and used the latter program to animate both the monster and character sprite models (primarily the main character Hisako). Yamaguchi on the other hand, will oversee all the programming aspects as well as the level graphics. With this, the indie company Studio Nanafushi came into being. Their development office in Koenji also doubled as a small bar called "365". Part 5 of the vlog showed Yamaguchi detailing part of the interior with cement in between working on the game program. The first order of business was to put together a promotional video to submit to Steam Greenlight. Subsequent parts of the development vlog documented this, as well as some proposed additions to the game proper. Due to numerous labor-intensive features they wanted to incorporate, the production time took a lot longer than expected even with part-time help. As a result, Studio Nanafushi overshot the originally intended release date of March 2017. Their development funds were also dwindling to a worrying degree. To this end, they recorded an appeal video featuring Mokuseizaiju reading a cue card with machine-translated English for the crowdfunding website Indiegogo. They were able to raise $6010 (20% of their intended goal) from 84 backers and development continued. Though they passed Steam Greenlight ranking at #4 and got an initial version ready for Steam Early Access, many of the proposed features had to either be simplified, delayed or abandoned altogether, like detailed weapon modification, some equipment types, carrying refugees to a specific destination, among others. Throughout the Early Access period, numerous bugs were worked on, and there were instances that the save data of the game was affected to the point that the staff had to warn players to refrain from playing or back up their saves until a fix could be implemented. Another common problem was the English and Chinese language parts had some inconsistent points and/or missed segments because the commissioned translators weren't able to keep up. The final version of the PC game stopped at 7.02 though some glitches remained, the most notable of which is the Roppongi boss sometimes jumping off the stage causing the game to get stuck. Gallery Early Development Screenshots File:DOS_PV_Proto.jpg|Title Image from the Promotional Video with the original release date. File:DOS_Dev01.jpg|Weapon Customization was slated to be more detailed, utilizing different objects to change attack property and defense. File:DOS_Dev03.jpg|There were originally 5 weapon categories, including hand-to-hand with knuckles. The onscreen cut-in was animated and reflects what equipment the player is currently using. File:DOS_SkillTree_Proto.jpg|The initial Skill Tree Menu, divided into Sword, Machine Gun, Knuckles, Chainsaw and Flamethrower categories. File:DOS_Dev04.jpg|Rescued refugees originally had to be escorted to a safe zone in the tradition of Dead Rising. DOS_Dev05.jpg|The animated cut-in also serves as Hisako's conversation avatar. Shown here is Rika, a refugee character that did not make it to the final release. Final Version Screenshots File:DOSGamplay_Harajuku.jpg|Hisako in Harajuku Station. Trailers File:Dead Or School - Launch Trailer Release & Update History Version 1.00 Version 1.00 was released on June 4, 2018. During the first boot-up, a disclaimer warning will state that since the game is still under development, bugs and error occurrences would be commonplace and can be reported via Steam Community Hub. Moreover, the base game only had three levels available: Shinjuku, Harajuku and Ichigaya. Version 1.10 Early Access started at July 13, 2018 and came with an update that fixed the following issues: *Perfect dodge effect not occurring. *Japanese language font has some unclear characters. *The screen sometimes goes black after selecting Start Game. *Vertical sync changes not being applied. *Some mutant attacks not hitting. *Other minor fixes. Version 1.12~1.14 All released July 14, 2018. 1.12 Fixes: *Fixed Harajuku memory leak. *Adjusted issue where player character disappears after entering elevator from the right. *Other minor fixes. 1.13 Fixes: *Adjustment of enemy attack hitboxes and behavior patterns. *Issue where items cannot be gained even when crouching. *Skip icon not disappearing after FMV ends. *Removed enemy wave meters from elevators with no encounters. *Selected save data from the title screen not loading. 1.14 Fixes: *Movies not playing, especially the preview part for upcoming Budokan update. *Obstacles found in the Ichigaya underground with high HP can be bypassed without breaking them. Version 1.15~1.16 Both released July 16, 2018. 1.15 Fixes: *Mutant:Assault gets stuck in the wall after a jumping attack. *Explosion effects in Ichigaya. *Fixed breakable objects in Ichigaya becoming unbreakable. 1.16 Fixes: *Certain enemies inexplicably falling through the ground after the 1.15 update. Version 1.17 Released July 17, 2018. Fixes: *Enemies not spawning in certain confrontation areas. *Made the mouse cursor stay within the game screen (for windowed mode). *Removed bug that made Shinjuku boss invincible. *Adjustment of the Thunder weapon ability. Version 1.18 & 1.18.1 Released July 18, 2018. 1.18 Fixes: *Stacking percentage abilities between skills & attachments. *Achievements unlocking even though the intended requirements weren't met. *Instances where player can accidentally get stuck inside a rock. *Issue where a battle that is supposed to occur only once happens again. *Ability stacking made possible, earlier version only enabled one with the higher percentage rate. *"PinchHeal" ability can now activate on any weapon equipped, with the recovery amount adjusted. *Added PS4 controller support *Separated control key assignments for menu navigation and gameplay. *Directional controls can now be mapped individually. *Implemented sequential weapon change controls. *Other minor fixes. *Running action is to be added but not implemented yet. 1.18.1 Fixes: *Issue where dodging causes events to be bypassed. Version 1.19 Released July 19, 2018. Fixes: *Weapon switching function also active even on the customization and status screens. *Destination point does not load when teleporting from a memory spot in Ichigaya. Version 1.20 Released July 20, 2018. Fixes: *Left and right input of the directional keys were reversed with the default controller assignment with XINPUT. *Inability to restore defaults when no input devices are connected. *Bug where the only way to cancel in the customization screen is by right clicking with the mouse. *Player character stuck in aiming pose. *Harajuku Boss memory leak. *Some achievements could not be acquired. *Other minor fixes. Version 1.21~1.22 Both released July 21, 2018. 1.21 Fixes: *Bug for a specific achievement. *Launcher Critical rate became 0%. *In Easy Aim mode, the reticle will position itself to the front when no other inputs are detected. *Bug where blank (????) items in Gallery Mode can be selected. *Enemies not appearing in forced confrontations for the Shinjuku area, causing the game to get stuck. *Adjusted input sensitivity of squat and upward slash. *Other minor fixes. 1.22 Fixes: *Enemies not appearing in forced confrontations for other areas, causing the game to get stuck. *Ichigaya Boss bug. *Reversed parameters for the Absorb ability. *Easy Mode Joystick bug. *Launcher can fire while reloading. *Launcher cannot damage enemies. *Other minor fixes. Version 1.23 Released July 22, 2018. Fixes: *Compatibility issues with some Windows 7 versions. Version 1.25~1.26 Both released August 12, 2018. 1.25 Fixes: *Opening the pause screen and closing it when multiple joysticks are connected makes the other joystick active. *Enemies no longer appear in forced battle sections. *Save data will not be reloaded when you continue. *Added Sprint function. *Added Hard Mode *Can now turn mini-map display on and off. *Other minor fixes. 1.25 Improvements: *Adjusted input sensitivity for UI selections. *Loading progress now displayed. *Improvement of processing control input assignment. *Updated savedata format. 1.26 Fixes: *When updating the system data, the connected controller does not function and it is not displayed on the settings screen. *When the inactive game window is restored, the cursor restriction is removed. Version 2.00 Released September 3, 2018. Additions: *Budokan stage now playable. *Addition of Simplified Chinese language (text and UI only). *New enemies. *New weapons. *New action. Fixes: *Level-to-Damage ratio gap. *Customization screen bug *Other minor fixes. The overall graphics quality was also improved. Version 2.01 Released September 5, 2018. Fixes: *The abilities "Slasher", "Second Shot" and "Dodge Slash' appearing as "UnknownID". *Hisako changing size (growing larger), causing a scale mismatch. *Room gimmicks not working, halting progress. *Other minor fixes. Version 2.02~2.03 Released September 8, 2018. 2.02 Fixes: *Sprites falling through the floor in Budokan. *Accomplished objective being re-displayed. *Other minor fixes. 2.03 Fixes: *Player character controllable even on knockdown state. *Enemies not taking damage. *If the player enters critical status after getting hit by the Ichigaya boss' ram attack, character control will be lost. *Other minor fixes. Version 3.00~3.01 Both released October 15, 2018. 3.00 Additions: *Akihabara stage now playable. *New enemies. *New weapons. *New action. 3.00 Fixes: *Sound setting does not return to default even if prompted at the settings screen. *Controller setting can not be changed when it is not connected even if there is existing system data. *Hit detection flaw from a Budokan stage wall. *Ability effect not reflected in UI value when modifying or switching equipment on customization screen. *UI shifts a little when display resolution is not 16:9. *Enemies not appearing in forced confrontations. *Boss of Harajuku stage warping to another room. *Updated system data version. *Other minor bug fixes. 3.00 Improvements: *Animation frame of the first jump. *Optimized UI to prevent breaking on resolutions other than 16:9. *Addition of an "Enable Controller" option. *Addition of a "Controller Vibration" slider. 3.01 Fixes: *Budokan surface event crashing. *"Examine" space turning into "Run" at the key assign screen. *Some event objects unresponsive. Version 3.02 Released October 18, 2018. Fixes: *Enemies no longer appearing in Akihabara stage. *An unassigned button/key being pressed stops the game's sound volume from increasing. *The reticle disappears after closing the memory spot menu. *BGM suddenly stops playing. *Other detailed bug fixes. Version 4.00 Released November 28, 2018. 4.00 Additions: *Shinjuku (Surface) stage now playable. *New enemies. *New weapons. *New action. *Addition of Battle Simulator Program where defeated bosses can be fought again starting from base up to maximum level. Some fights give rewards like Skill Points, Weight Limit, etc. 4.00 Fixes: *Ability issues *Other major bug fixes. 4.00 Improvements: *Worked on player and enemy sprites getting stuck on terrain. *Overall optimization. The early part of the story had some issues with the English translation, so some users were given save file to replay the aforementioned. Version 4.01 Released November 29, 2018. Fixes: *Cannot start a new game. *Bonus values for life and stamina not reflected on the game screen, but shown in status. *Tutorial video not playing. *Chinese language font has some unclear characters. Issue with the English language part also addressed. Version 4.02 Released December 1, 2018. Fixes: *Yurika's message for unused skill points at the start of a forced battle still appearing even if all points have been used. *One Refugee not appearing on the train. *"Nagadosu" not appearing as a Souvenir nor Weapon, in turn affecting the "Shinjuku Surface Souvenir Collector" achievement. *Certain gallery images/movies not displaying. *Disappearing platform gimmick issues. *Problems with the Chinese language mode. *"Rapid Fire" and "Destroyer" achievement only obtainable when using swords and other melee weapons. *Other minor bug fixes. Save data with negative skill points and no "Nagadosu" will be corrected upon loading using the new version. Version 4.03~4.04 Both released December 2, 2018. 4.03 Fixes: *Problems with Chinese language text. 4.04 Fixes: *Hidden background objects. Version 4.04 unfortunately incurred a save data load bug. The developers requested players to refrain from continuing until the 4.05 build is completed. Version 4.05 Released December 4, 2018. Fixes: *Save data not loading normally. *Life and Stamina parameter increases gained from Souveniers/Refugees not reflecting in the current stats. *A certain Refugee that hasn't been rescued yet will inexplicably appear in the base train. *Enemy spawn counter in elevators. *Other minor bug fixes. Version 4.06 Released December 6, 2018. Fixes: *Transition message in "Virtual Combat Simulator" does not disappearing. *Bug with the Budokan boss. *BEST TIME not be updating after boss rematch *Fixed the behavior pattern of the Ichigaya Boss. *Shop list item notations. *Area transition not working *Other minor bug fixes. Notes & Trivia *The plot of Dead Or School is meant to be a "what-if" side story based on the Machine Doll Nanami-Chan manga, with common elements between the two becoming more and more obvious as the game story progresses. *The promotional trailer mistakenly had the copyright date of 2008 instead of 2017/2018. This was corrected in subsequent videos and other promotional material. *Hisako's voice actress was credited in-game for performing three roles, the main character herself, Hisako's mother and grandmother. The voices for the latter two can only be heard in the promotional video, not the game proper. *If the player tries to go beyond the currently available stages in earlier versions, a small skit will play out where Yurika and Daiba (plus Yuki after Akihabara has been cleared) will tell Hisako that due to circumstances beyond their control, they have no choice but to stay on the train until the update is complete. A preview teaser will follow where the iArm display will show highlights of the stage that is currently in development. External Links *https://www.nanafushi.jp/ *https://store.steampowered.com/app/789760/DEAD_OR_SCHOOL/ *https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dead-or-school#/ Category:Dead Or School Category:Indie Game